Final Fantasy XIII 1. Children of the Military

**A/N:** **Hello everyone and Wolfie is back! I decided to rewrite my _Golden Feathers_ fanfic because I felt like it wasn't going anywhere from where I placed my OCs and yes, there are going to be some changes but some things are going to remain the same. I'm not going to say what but you'll just to have find out in _Heart of a Soldier_! Enjoy~!**

**Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy Series belongs to Square Enix**  
**Claimer: I only own _Heart of a Soldier_ and its OCs**

***Re-edited 5/2/2014**

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**Heart of a Soldier**

**Chapter I: Children of the Military**

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Day 2

"Come on, you two." Our mom said as she dragged both my twin sister and I out of the two story house. The bright sun blinded my vision as we stepped out.

"Is it really necessary to bring us along?" My twin sister, Alexis, asked. My twin sister wore an elbow-length red shirt with a black sleeveless coat that went little past her knees, black short-shorts with a white belt, and dark brown military boots. As the wind blew, her shoulder blade-length charcoal hair danced about in the draft.

As for me, my navy blue scarf repeatedly wacked me in the face. I wore a white long-sleeve shirt, a buttoned up black vest, navy blue scarf, dark blue jeans with a white belt, black military boots, and black fingerless gloves. My hair is almost the same as Alexis except way shorter and my bangs sweep to the left.

Our mom just sighed as she locked the front door, Alexis and I followed her past the shore side shops of Bodhum "Of course, sweetie." She replied "Besides, I know for a fact that you two would end up bored and sleeping- like always. But now is a good time to figure out which path you want to follow."

I raised an eyebrow, "You mean join PSICOM or Guardian Corps?" Our mom nodded her head and I scoffed "Forget about PSICOM, I'll join Guardian Corps any day. PSICOM is just a place full of brainwashed dogs."

"Nicholas!" Alexis frowned "How can you say that?! Father was part of PSICOM!"

I looked at my twin sister from the corner of my eye, "Who said I was talking about father too?" Alexis was about to say something but she closed her mouth "It's PSICOM in general. If Sanctum orders them to act, they'll do exactly that."

"Nick…" Our mom stopped walking and turned to face me "I understand that you're angry for what happened all those years ago- but that's in the past. Those soldiers who were assigned to that investigation didn't know what they were walking into. Neither did your father. Don't blame the Sanctum or PSICOM because it was neither of their faults." We continued as our mom lectured us some more "Take Derek for example…" I mentally growled "He joined PSICOM to continue your father's legacy as a great soldier and colonel. Look at him now, he's a Lieutenant Colonel."

I just looked towards the crashing waves of the ocean as the tides rolled onto the beach.

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Day 5

I grunted as the blade of my gunblade clashed against Alexis's gunblade, we jumped back to have some distance between us. My twin sister and I were sparring on the beach and for once, our mom allowed us and went to inform the Guardian Corps branch here in Bodhum that we were just sparring- nothing to worry about. Alexis and I agreed to spar in the sand so that it would help us with our footing and balance while fighting.

"Not bad, Nicholas." Alexis told me before charging straight towards me and I scoffed. Once she was close enough to strike me, I sidestepped and swung my gunblade horizontally from my right shoulder but Alexis blocked my attack and fended it off. On instinct, I back flipped away as she swung a full arc. Going back into my fighting pose with my gunblade being held in back-handed fashion, I waited for the next attack. With Alexis not making a move, I placed pressure on my toes before making a swift dash. Closing in, I moved my gunblade in a short arc motion. Reacting quickly, Alexis jumped back but I continued after her while switching my hold on the gunblade.

Alexis stopped and I took my chance to attack while she was open but once I was close enough, she quickly sheathed her gunblade and managed to pin me onto the sand by swiftly sidestepping until she was beside me. My twin sister then took the opportunity to grab my hand that held the gunblade, hit the center of my stomach with her left knee and finally force me onto the sand by grabbing the back of my neck with her right hand.

"Hey!" I said, spitting the sand out of my mouth.

"Another win for me~!" Alexis said in a sing-song voice before helping me back up onto my feet. I dusted the sand from my clothes as my twin sister giggled at the cold glare that I was giving her.

"Busy trying to kill each other?" Alexis and I heard our mom's voice, we looked towards her who was being accompanied by a woman with pink-colored hair. The pinkette wore a white vest over a sleeveless brown turtleneck, a brown skirt, knee-high boots, a black sleeve that reached up to her bicep on her left arm, a red cape that's attached to the left side of her back, a red pouch that's strapped around her left thigh, and a Guardian Corps pauldron that shows her ranking as a sergeant. She was also the same height as mom.

Speaking about height, Alexis stood a few centimeters shorter than the pink-haired woman. While I stand an inch taller.

"Actually, we just finished our spar." I told our mom.

"And I happened to take victory!" Alexis piped with a smirk and I glared at her for rubbing it in "You must be Sergeant Farron," Alexis changed the topic and looked at the pink-haired soldier "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Alexis and this is my twin brother, Nicholas." I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Likewise," Sergeant Farron nodded before we noticed her eyes move to our gunblades "You two are gunblade users?" She asked us.

Alexis and I nodded, "They were given to us on our 16th birthday by our father." I told her "Our older brother taught us how to use them since my sister and I insisted that we learn."

"Anyways, head inside you two," Our mom gestured towards the house "It's almost lunchtime."

Alexis huffed "Mom. Nicholas and I aren't little kids anymore, we're 19!"

"19 or not, you're still my little babies. Now get inside." Alexis and I groaned before doing what we were told.

As we headed inside, our mom and Sergeant Farron started walking away. I looked towards their direction before looking away but apparently Alexis caught me and poked my forehead "See something you like, Nicholas?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You were looking at Sergeant Farron!"

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Shut up! I was only looking because she has a gunblade too!"

"Liar! You're totally crushing on her!"

"Will you just shut up!"

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Day 9

Kids laughed and adults conversed as I strolled about the outdoor mall of Bodhum, it's out-of-character for me to go to the mall but I just wanted some fresh air and some ice cream. Maker, I love ice cream! I went to the nearest ice cream parlor and ordered a single scoop of strawberry ice cream on a plain waffle cone. I said my thanks to the employee after paying and made my way out of the parlor to sit down at one of the outside tables.

Even though in the shade, I can still feel the sun's blasted heat but at least its breezy. Seagulls culled from above as I ate my ice cream in peace…well, almost in peace before a girl with light brown came up to me with a deeply flushed face. She wore a purple tanktop, black knee-length shorts, and white sandals "E-excuse me…" She muttered shyly "My fr-friends and I-I were wondering if you were um…s-single?" Casting a glance to my right, I noticed a group of three girls giggling and telling one another to 'shut up and be quiet'.

"I am single actually…" I told the girl and I think I heard her breath hitched at my answer "But I…" It was then that I noticed a familiar pink-haired Guardian Corps sergeant walking in the distance.

"Would you like to go get a smoothie?" The brunette asked me and I made a sad smile.

"I would love to…but I'm going to have to decline your offer." The girl frowned "I'm just not looking for my 'special someone' at the moment." She nodded before walking back to her friends. I let out a breath.

"Nicholas Cross," I slightly jumped in my seat and nearly lost my ice cream to the ground. I looked up to Sergeant Farron from my strawberry ice cream "How are you today?" She asked.

"Sergeant Farron! I-I'm fine, just denied a girl's offer of getting a smoothie." I said scratching the back of my head "Cause, yeah…not really interested…" I looked to my right again to see those same group of girls talking about me "Um…Sergeant Farron-"

"Lightning." I raised an eyebrow "Call me Lightning."

I nodded "You don't happen to be on your shift, are you?" I asked.

"Might I ask why?" She folded her arms across her chest and gave me a look "Is it to avoid anymore questions from those girls over there?" I smiled sheepishly "Well, lucky you, I have ten minutes left until my shift ends. You can walk with me until then." I finished the rest of my ice cream before getting up and started walking with Lightning. As we passed the group of girls, I heard them sigh in defeat. Sorry girls "So, Nicholas," Lightning started and I looked at her "Your mother mentioned your older brother but never talked about him."

"Derek works at PSICOM as a Lieutenant Colonel. He got positioned at Eden." I told her "He's not necessarily mom's favorite at the moment because he rarely visits. It's been at least two years since we last seen him."

"I see…" She said and I nodded.

"Pardon me if I ask, but do you have a sibling?" I asked, rather curiously.

Lightning nodded, "I do. A sister named Serah."

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Day 11

"C'mon Nicholas!" Alexis was practically pulling me towards the area where they were holding Bodhum's annual firework festival "It might be starting any minute now!" The bottom of our boots hit the boarded walkway with a 'thud' as we ran.

"Then maybe you shouldn't take so long choosing an outfit!" I told her "Anyways, we'll make it to the fireworks!" There were times where we nearly tripped while running but we caught our footing and continued running. We skidded to a complete stop once a large dome came into view and from what we can tell, the fireworks haven't gone off yet "Told you!" Alexis sent a glare my way before running off again.

Once we got there, tons of people were gathered behind the shoreline while awaiting for the fireworks "There you two are!" Alexis and I turned heads to see our mom walking towards in her GC uniform "About time you made it, the fireworks are about to start." At that moment, the fireworks were then shot into the air exploded in a variety of different colors. Our mom stood between us and placed both of her hands on mine and Alexis's shoulder.

"Aren't you suppose to be on duty, mom?" Alexis asked and our mom sighed.

"Yes, but we were told to lay off." She said "There are PSICOM soldiers around the area and are investigating fal'Cie activities. Keeping it all under wraps." She told us.

Alexis and I looked at each other "Do you know what kind of activities they're investigating?"

Our mom shook her head "Not a clue. But I suggest keeping your noses out of it for the time being until everything clears up. Understood?" Alexis and I nodded in confirmation "Anyways, enough about PSICOM. Have I told you guys that this is where your father and I met?" Our mom changed the subject.

We looked at her with wide eyes "Seriously?"

She nodded, "Your father had just graduated from the academy and came here as a present to himself. He developed a crush on me and asked me out a few weeks later."

I looked back at the fireworks and continued to admire them, "Hm~ reminds me of someone…" Alexis looked at me directly, I groaned "Right, Nicholas?"

I felt mom's grip tightened on my shoulder and I slowly moved my gaze to her from the fireworks "Is that true, Nicholas?" Mom asked with a raised eyebrow "Who's this person that you have a crush on?" I looked away stubbornly.

"I believe it's Sergeant Farron," Alexis said slyly "He was looking at her when you first introduced us and when you guys were walking away."

"Do my ears hear what is true~?" By this point, our mom has this highly amused smile on her face "Does my little Nicholas really have a crush on Farron?" She asked with a smile "I'll have you know that she's a tough cookie…"

"Can we just shut up about this now?!" I growled, adjusting my scarf so that I can hide my flushed face. Both mom and Alexis began laughing and I huffed "I'm going to get a drink, anybody want one?" Mom and Alexis shook their heads "Suit yourselves." Mom removed her hand from my shoulder before I headed towards the nearest cafe. As I entered, I accidentally bumped into a tall woman "Apologies." I said looking over my shoulder.

The woman's gaze met mine and something at the back of my head started buzzing, the woman looked at me with wide eyes before walking away in a hurry. I can only shrug my shoulders. I ordered a soft drink from the woman behind the counter "Here's your drink." The woman placed my drink on the counter and I nodded my thanks before heading out of the cafe.

I sipped my soda and let out a satisfied breath as the liquid went down my throat. I looked up to the fireworks, each one bursting with beautiful colors. I then looked over towards Alexis and our mom "Everything would be fine if father was still around."

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**A/N: I forgot to say this in the first author's note: the purpose of this rewrite is to see which FFXIII fanfic you guys prefer _Golden Feathers_ or _Heart of a Soldier_. Rewriting the story has been stuck on my mind for a while now because of the way it was written. I'm not saying that I want to get rid of it because I feel like. I'm just saying that I feel like rewriting it- like add more stuff to it, y'know? Like I sometimes (very rarely) say: "Happy readers make a happy author". Now then, hope you guys enjoyed this new story and until the next time I update! See ya~!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	2. Acceptation Without Doubt

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the 2nd chapter of _Heart of a Soldier_! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII and its characters rightfully belongs to Square Enix**  
**Claimer: _Heart of a Soldier_ and its OCs belong to me**

***Re-edited 4/5/2014**

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**Heart of a Soldier**

**Chapter II: Acceptation Without Doubt**

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"Hey, Nick!" Looking over my shoulder from reading a book- a history book about Pulse to be exact. For some reason, Pulse interests me. Back to Alexis, I noticed her walking out of her work space where she tinkers with machinery. Whenever she got the chance, she would take our gunblades and upgrade them in any way with the components that she would purchase from Lenora's Garage. Alexis handed me my sheathed gunblade.

"What did you do this time?" I asked, placing my gunblade at the end of the couch that I was sitting on before going back to reading. Although before she could tell me, Alexis gave me a look that she wanted me to test out the gunblade. Complying, I placed the book on the coffee table of the living room before grabbing the case and unsheathed my weapon. The gunblade originally had a metallic silver coating as its base color but I decided to customize it with heavy tinted gold and medium grey. On the surface, feathers were itched into the surface.

Looking over to Alexis, I noticed a sparkle in her eyes as she gazed upon her finished work. I change my gunblade into its sword and began swinging it around. It feels as light as a feather…

Like she had read my mind, Alexis smiled "I was able to decrease the weight so that makes it easier to wield during battle- which also adds a bonus to your attack speed. But you know what they say 'There is more to life than simply increasing its speed'."

Sheathing the weapon, I ruffled my twin sister's hair "Thanks." Several knocks came to the front door, Alexis and I looked at each other "Who can that be?"

Walking up to the door, I opened it to reveal a group of three PSICOM Wardens "Nicholas Cross," The one who knocked acknowledged "We're here to bring you to Eden, Lieutenant Colonel's orders."

My brows knitted together, "What for?"

"The Lieutenant Colonel will tell you everything once we arrive at Eden." The PSICOM soldier told me "He has received permission from Lieutenant Cross of the Guardian Corps to take you."

Alexis then came into the conversation "If Nicholas is going, then I'm going to." The PSICOM soldiers looked amongst themselves before sending a nod our way. To be cautious, our mom always said to bring our weapons whenever being taken somewhere by the military- it's always best to listen to your military parent. As we walked out, I closed the door behind us and we followed the PSICOM soldiers towards the landing pad.

As we walked through Bodhum, I began to notice that we were getting attention. I don't blame the civilians for their curiosity. If I saw a group of soldiers escorting two kids, I would definitely stare as they passed by.

The PSICOM soldier that was in front of us came to a stop in front of a fenced area and on the other side of the fence was the airship that came in by. A soldier on the other side of the fence opened the gate for us before locking it behind us. The hatch of the airship opened and we entered with the soldiers behind us.

Once inside, Alexis and I resided within the bridge where the soldiers brought us to _"This is Pyro, our destination is Eden. ETA: approximately three hours."_ The pilot said over the intercom of the ship. The Pyro began lifting off of the ground of the docking area and began its way back to Eden.

"Nicholas, can I talk to you for a minute?" Alexis asked me.

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**Alexis's POV**

Nicholas nodded. The door to the bridge swished open and we stepped out into the hallway "What is it?" He asked.

I scratched the back of my head before replying "I don't if this make any sense to you but-" I noticed my brother raise an eyebrow "Earlier this morning before mom left for work, she got a call from Derek." Nicholas made no reaction by far, so I continued "I heard them talking over the phone about coming to PSICOM's headquarters in Eden- apparently, the Primach is looking into the new recruits and seeing how they've been shaping up."

"What does this have to with me? I have nothing to do with PSICOM- let alone not being a recruit." He said.

"Actually, you are involved." I said "Mom told me that the Primach knows much of the family and military history. With Derek bringing you up between him and the Primach, the Primach took an interest in you and wishes for you to be in the hands of PSICOM. The only thing that was enough to convince him was your academy records and our father being Jackson Cross." Nicholas's jaw clenched and his eyes became a darker shade of blue. I looked down at the ground. I may not know what Nicholas went through when Derek suddenly enrolled him into the academy but it's obvious that he felt anger and betrayal.

"So…" Nicholas finally spoke as he kept himself cool and collective "This isn't how I imagined my life would go." He muttered before walking away "I need some time to think…"

Letting my brother be, I headed back inside the cockpit and gazed upon the unchanging passing scenery of clouds and blue sky.

Time passed and Eden was finally in our sight. Turning on my heel and walking out of the bridge, I navigated my way through the ship as I searched for Nicholas- however, there were times that I got lost. A PSICOM soldier then came up to me and asked if I needed assistance, I nodded, and asked him if he saw a doppelganger of me except being a male. The soldier nodded and led me to the hull where Nicholas that entered after we boarded. I gave the soldier my thanks before he went back to whatever duty he had.

The door leading into the hull swished open as I walked through. Glancing around the hull to see nothing but piled crates, I then heard a faint snoring. I looked around a stack of crates near the door to see Nicholas laying on the ground and sleeping with his scarf covering his face.

"Nicholas?" I stood over him "Nicholas!" The only answer I got from my brother was 'five more minutes…'. Sighing, I drove the toe of my boot into Nicholas's right side and it was then that he immediately sat up with his scarf still covering his face.

Uncovering his face and looking up to see me, he yawned loudly "Alexis? Where did- how did you find me?"

"I asked a soldier and he directed me to the hull, that he saw you entering." I told him and Nicholas began stretching his limbs "What are you doing in the hull? I was expecting you to be thinking about what I just told you instead of sleeping." Nicholas stood up and strapped his sheathed gunblade around his waist.

"I did exactly that before taking a nap to pass the time." He told me "Just thinking about it makes me question how stupid Derek is…" I said nothing nor comment about it "Derek should know about my feelings towards PSICOM and why they're like that…but who am I to say? Besides, he wasn't even there when a PSICOM soldier told us that father didn't return and proclaimed his body dead."

The voice from before sounded on the intercom _"We have reached our destination. I repeat, we have reached our destination."_

"C'mon," Nicholas began walking of the hull "Lets see what the Primach and _Lieutenant Colonel_ Derek Cross want with me."

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**Nicholas's POV**

After the _Pyro_ landed in Eden, Alexis and I were escorted out of the airship where a man with messy charcoal colored hair and a goatee met us. That is Lieutenant Colonel Derek Cross, our older brother. Instead of his usual bulky armor, Derek wore simple dark brown trousers, a white sleeveless tunic with a high collar, a sleeveless blue hoodie, and black military boots. At a closer look, he had scar from the corner of his left eye to his to the left corner of his mouth. He also had a tattoo on his right forearm of a black inked dragon wrapping itself around his forearm.

"Alexis and Nicholas," He spoke with a bright smile on his face and eyes twinkling. Alexis smiled and hugged him "Damn, two years sure make a difference when it comes to appearances." Derek then went over to me and ruffled my hair. I mentally growled at the action "You two certainly grown!"

"So, Derek," I spoke "What's the deal of having some PSICOM soldiers coming up to the front door and bringing us here?"

Derek made a sheepishly smile "Honestly, I was expecting you to come by yourself, Nick. But knowing Alexis," He looked at Alexis "She'll want to come along. Anyways, come along you two, there's someone who wants to meet you Nick."

Before going inside PSICOM headquarters, Alexis and I gave each other a look. Seems like meeting the Primach is true.

Heading inside the building, we followed Derek through the lobby and towards the elevators which are located at the far right corner of the first floor. Derek pressed the button and called the elevator to the first floor. The elevator dinged and the door swished open, we entered and Derek pressed the button for the 5th floor. The doors closed and the elevator began moving.

I turned back my towards Derek and Alexis and looked out of the glass window to see ships passing by at cruising speeds, "How's everything back at home?" Derek asked.

Seeing my reflection within the glass, Alexis told him "Oh you know, walking about the malls, hanging out with mom at work, sparring, and other things."

"Meet anybody interesting?" Derek asked the both of us. My eyebrow twitched when Alexis told him that I developed a crush on Sergeant Farron, Derek made an amused smile towards my direction. I adjusted my scarf so that it was covering my flushed cheeks. Geez. The elevator came to a stop at the 5th floor and we stepped out. Continuing to follow Derek, we eventually came to a sparring room where a man dressed in white and light purple stood with a blonde woman standing beside him on the left, hands behind her back. On the man's right was a man dressed in PSICOM armor.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cross," The man on the right said with acknowledgement.

"Sir," Derek saluted dutifully before turning back Alexis and I "Alexis and Nick," He began to introduce individually "This is my CO, Anthony Spears. The Primach, Galenth Dysley. And finally, Lieutenant Colonel, Jihl Nabaat."

"Pleasure to meet you," Alexis and I said simultaneously.

"Nicholas Cross," Dysley spoke "Come forward." I looked between Alexis and Derek before obeying and stood in front of the Primach "I went through your academy records and was astonished that you graduated at the top of your class." I said nothing "Should've expected no less from a child of Jackson Cross." I resisted the urge to frown.

"Excuse me, Your Excellency," I said politely "What made you interested in me? Besides my academy records and being the son of Jackson Cross?"

Dysley had a straight face before making a kind smile "Your persona, your ability, and your will." He replied "Those traits are what makes a strong soldier." Derek's CO cleared his throat, I turned around towards the entrance to see a PSICOM Executioner walk into the room with a spear in his hand at the ready "The strength on the body is what also counts."

I quickly unsheathed my gunblade as the Executioner charged straight towards me and our weapons clashed. My body shook at the pressure that the Executioner was placing. Glaring at the Executioner, I sucked in a deep breath and began pushing back.

What the hell does fighting have do with any of this?

The Executioner and I both jumped back. Standing back up, I managed to regain my composure before the Executioner made his move and thrusted his spear towards me but I sidestepped in time to avoid being stabbed. Making my move, I successfully landed a hard roundhouse kick on my opponent's left ribcage. The Executioner reacted and attempted to punch me but I dodged that fist by ducking, followed by knocking the soldier off if his feet. Flipping my gunblade downwards, I went to stab the blade through the Executioner but her grabbed my wrist and flipped me onto my back.

I wheezed as the air was knocked out of my body but I was able to move before the tip of the spear pierced my head.

* * *

**Alexis's POV**

I watched from the sidelines as Nicholas nearly dodged the spear that now stabbed the matted floor underneath their feet. Truth be told, I felt nervous because Nicholas has never been in a fight with an actual soldier- with our older brother as an exception. Nicholas regained composure and got into his fighting position.

The Executioner and my brother just stared at each other for a moment before resuming their fight.

Eventually, Nicholas got the upper-hand in the fight and turned the tables in his favor. With the Executioner on his back, Nicholas panted heavily and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his gloved hand. He began to falter in his balance but I rushed to his side in an instant, Nicholas nodded his thanks for catching him before collapsing onto the ground.

"Quite a show, my child." Dysley commented, walking up to the both of us "There's no question that you have your father's fighting style nor any doubt that you defeated the soldier." Nicholas didn't reply "Congratulations, young Cross," The Primach said with a smile "You have been recruited into PSICOM. Consider it to be an honor that you'll be following your father's footsteps."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Nicholas said while trying to hide his sudden anger "I am most honored." With that Nicholas sheathed his gunblade and walked out of the room with me and Derek following close behind him.

We arrived back at the elevator that Derek just called. After opening its doors to us, we boarded and it took us back down to the 1st floor "So, Nick," Derek began "Got anything to say?" Nicholas didn't say anything except give our older brother a full on glare until the elevator doors opened up again. My twin then marched right towards the entrance and kicked open the doors "Nicholas, wait a second!" Derek rushed past me and placed a hand on Nicholas's shoulder but Nicholas instantly reacted by punching Derek in the face, and with enough force to damage his jaw.

PSICOM soldiers moved in with their guns trained on Nicholas and Derek ordered them to lower their weapons "Come on Alexis," Nicholas said in a low tone "Lets head back home so that I resume my now messed up life."

With that, we left Eden on the same airship as before.

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**A/N: So there's the second chappy of _Heart of a Soldier_! The updating schedule has been decided but I'm unsure about it. Basically, I'll upload a chapter every Saturday but as of today (Friday) I'll make it an exception because I got this chapter done early. Anyways, until the next time on _Heart of a Soldier_! See ya!**

**Don't forget to review~!**

**P.S. Thank you to those who favorite, alerted, and reviewed! It means a lot to me.**


	3. Traitors on the Field

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the 3rd chapter of _Heart of a Soldier_! Sorry for taking so long. Thank you to those who reviewed/favorite/alerted!**

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII rightfully belongs to Square Enix**  
**Claimer: Heart of a Soldier and its OCs belong to me**

* * *

**Heart of a Soldier**

**Chapter III: Traitors on the Field**

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Engines whirred and soldiers were reporting in from their stations of the cockpit. The airship, _Sky Hawk_, is on its way to the Hanging Edge. Why? Earlier, Sanctum received readings of an active fal'Cie near Bodhum and declared every citizen to be purged. It was then that Derek suggested to mom that she relocate to the family vacation home at Palumpolum, just for her own safety. Mom argued that she's staying in the town that she grew up in but Derek eventually persuaded her and so, mom moved.

At the moment, I'm standing on the bridge of the _Sky Hawk_, which has its coursed routed to the Hanging Edge. From what I told by Derek was that people were being purged because they lived too close to the fal'Cie. So, the Primach selected Derek to supervise the Purge and so that I can have some experience of working within PSICOM, he actually suggested to Lieutenant Colonel Cross to bring me along. But once Alexis caught wind, she actually threatened our older brother to bring her along.

So, here Alexis was. Standing next to me and leaning against the wall behind us. I looked down to the ring on Alexis's left index finger and the one in my gloved hand. The rings are similar in a way, the bands were made out of titanium but the engravings are of a different color: mine was gold and Alexis's was purple.

"There you two are," I looked up from the ring to see Derek walking towards us from the doorway of the bridge. Both Alexis and I then noticed the helmets that he was carrying in both hands. I then slipped the ring onto my right ring finger, which happens to be the only finger that the ring can fit around "We need to head to the hull, since we're nearing out destination. Oh, and you'll need these." Derek handed us the helmets "Standard PSICOM helmets." He told us

"Are these helmets really necessary Derek?" Alexis asked him and Derek nodded.

After a while walking through pathways, I noticed that the airship started jolting around and I have to say, it was difficult to walk. We eventually came to the hull where a man with slick back pure white hair and fairly tanned skin and a group of soldiers waited "Lieutenant Colonel Cross," The white-haired man turned towards our direction.

"Colonel Redd," Derek acknowledged. Both of them grasped the others' forearm "It's honor to meet you."

"Ditto." Colonel Redd said before letting go, he then looked towards us "So, this is your younger sibling that you're bringing along?" He asked and our older brother nodded "You must be Nicholas Cross." I nodded my head "I must say, PSICOM is quite lucky having the members of the Cross family within its ranks." He then turned towards Alexis "Might I ask your name?"

"Alexis Cross, sir." She replied.

Colonel Redd looked at Derek "I believe I was notified that you were bringing the one that was recruited by the Primach, himself?"

"I did." Derek replied "But Alexis insisted that she come along as well." The airship began to shake more than it did before "Alright team, fall in!" Derek barked and the group of soldiers did so "We will be arriving to our destination soon. Colonel Redd's team will be dropped off at Location A while my team will dropped off at Location B. As the order came from Sanctum, our main objective is to-"

The voice of the pilot then interrupted Derek in the middle of his sentence _"Attention! Attention! We're under heavy fire and will not be able to arrive to __our destination!"_ A loud explosion was then heard. Derek ran towards the control panel of the hull and pressed a button to open the hatch. Bracing ourselves as the rushing winds came into the hull, we saw that the Hanging Edge had become a battlefield between the civilians and PSICOM soldiers. What the hell is going on? As I stared outside, Alexis elbowed me on the side and gestured me to put the helmet on. I did so. My eyes flinched at the brightness of the orange screen before it dimmed to a comfortable lighting. Both Derek and Colonel Redd did the same thing. However, what I didn't expect to see was a missile hit the side of the _Sky Hawk__._

Alexis was knocked off of her feet from the missile strike and began sliding towards the edge of the hatch "Nicholas!" She screamed through the roaring wind.

I heard Derek shouting my name by ignored him and went straight for my sister. I grabbed her hand and with Lady Luck by my side, I was able to grab onto the edge of the hatch with my free hand "Hang on!"

"Doing my best!" I heard Alexis's panicked reply through my helmet. But the airship swaying left to right and trying to maintain its control, it was becoming difficult to hang onto Alexis and the hatch "Nicholas! 2 o'clock!" I looked over my shoulder to see yet another missile coming towards our way and it successfully exploded against the side of the airship. Alexis's hand was ripped from my hand and I lost my grip on the hatch.

With the air rushing past my body, it was difficult to move towards Alexis and grab her hand. We were centimeters apart until arms were wrapped around our mid-section. It was Derek and Colonel Redd. Derek managed to grab me while Colonel Redd went after Alexis. I moved my head back to Alexis but she was already gone with Colonel Cross and his part of the team.

I held my breath as something small whizzed by my helmet, looking down towards the platform, I noticed civilians shooting at us. Derek pulled out a grav-com from the belt of his bulky uniform and threw it towards the ground. He maneuvered his body out of his nosedive and landed within the neon blue energy of the grav-com. Derek tossed me behind some crates, the group of four soldiers followed suit and began firing their weapons.

After the fight, I stood up from my cover and noticed the now dead civilians on the ground with their blood pooling around them.

Derek and his group then regrouped "Alright," I heard my older brother say through my helmet "From here on out, we are to regroup with Colonel Redd but remember the main objective-" My heart skipped a beat "Kill every civilian that we encounter."

"Yes sir!" The group of soldiers shouted although there were some who seemed hesitant. They then moved forward.

"Dere-"

"Get moving Nick." Derek cut me off "I don't need anyone lagging on the job." And just like that, Derek's persona changed once on the field "And you are to call me Lieutenant Colonel when on the field." He barked before following his men.

I scowled before following him "Since when did Sanctum give the order to kill everyone? Doesn't the government care about its people?"

"Are you questioning the given orders?!" Derek stopped once again.

"Of course not, Lieutenant Colonel Cross." I replied with a hint of sarcasm "What you're doing is wrong, Derek! What's good about committing murder to those who don't deserve to die? The citizens are here to be Purged! Not to be killed out of cold blood!"

Lieutenant Colonel Cross turned on his heel, marched right up to me and roughly grabbed me by the scarf and pulled me towards his face until I was on the tip of my toes and our helmets barely touched. I cringed "This is not the time to be arguing over the order from Sanctum. When the soldiers of PSICOM are given an order, we accept it and complete it. We don't question it- just do it."

"So, you want me, your little brother, to go and kill countless of innocent people because Sanctum says so? Is that the kind of future you want me to have? To become a killer?!" I asked in the harshest voice I could muster "I would rather be executed rather than get blood of innocents on my hands." Derek released his grip on my scarf before I brushed past him and the group of soldiers moved away.

"Nick, this isn't what father would want from you. How would he react if he saw you taking this path?" My footsteps came to a halt and my whole body tensed as he mentioned our father. How would bringing up our dead father in this conversation help the situation? Is Derek a total moron?!

"To hell with that he thinks." I spat "I'm sure that he doesn't want his own children killing innocent people- especially his twins." The PSICOM soldiers formed a line with their guns trained on me and ready to pull the trigger.

"Last chance, Nick." Derek warned me "If you continue to disobey then PSICOM will mark you a traitor and we'll be forced to kill you without hesitation."

I unsheathed my gunblade and pointed it towards Derek and the soldiers "Try me."

* * *

**Alexis's POV**

"Seems like those sparring matches really paid off." I muttered to myself as I sheathed my gunblade after taking out a group of three PSICOM soldiers. Removing my helmet, I inhaled a large amount of air before exhaling, all this fighting is making me exhausted. Besides this group of PSICOM soldiers, I was able to outrun Colonel Redd and his group once I discovered the new assignment of killing innocents. Knowing Nicholas, if he found out about this Sanctum order, things will go downhill.

A familiar voice then came through my helmet _"Alexis! Can you hear me?! Alexis!"_ It's Nicholas! Although he sounds difficult to understand.

I slipped on my helmet and replied "Nicholas! I can hear you loud and clear."

"_Good, you don't know how difficult it was to get-"_ He stopped and I raised an eyebrow _"Ahold of you."_ He continued his sentence. In the background, I can hear rapid fire _"Damn it…!" _More gunshots were heard but more separated.

"Nicholas, are you fighting?" I suddenly asked.

"There she is!" I turned my head my left and I instantly stood up to see four PSICOM soldiers running towards me "We got the traitor within our sights." I sighed heavily as I unsheathed my gunblade and switched it to its sword form.

"Lovely, more accompany." I muttered under my breath.

"_Let me guess, you got soldiers on your end?" _I huffed in response, Nicholas must be smirking on his side _"Did you found about Sanctum's order of mass murder?"_

"The moment Colonel Redd and his soldiers began shooting civilians." I answered, I dashed forward while dodging the flying bullets. Bullets nearly came into contact with my body but I managed "I took out his soldiers before making a break for it. He must've contacted nearby groups." I jumped and landed a kick on a soldier's head.

"_Same with me except for the whole shooting-the-soldiers-thing."_ Nicholas commented as he grunted _"Basically, got into an argument with Derek and he declared me an official PSICOM traitor."_

"Hmm, that puts us in the same boat." I said, kneeing a soldier in the stomach and slicing his head off. With only two left, things were getting easier for me. However, before I can take care of the remaining two, a barrage of bullets flew past my body and penetrated the bodies of the soldiers. The PSICOM soldiers dropped dead. Turning around, I came face-to-face to armed civilians "Wow…didn't expect to this…" I sheathed my gunblade and put my hands up in surrender.

"_You're telling me…"_ Nicholas muttered _"I don't know whether to be glad or scared…or both…"_

I ignored my brother for a moment as a blonde man wearing a grey coat and black bandana walked up to me. I narrowed my eyes, wait, I've seen this guy before…where? "Huh, a PSICOM soldier surrendering, I guess you don't see that everyday." Snow Villiers! Now I remember! Guardian Corps has data on the members who are part of a group called NORA. Although I heard that they always butted into Guardian Corps business.

"As you should know, I'm not technically a soldier." I replied, keeping my hands up in a surrender pose. The blonde, who now known as Snow, raised an eyebrow "I came here along side my twin brother to supervise the Purge. But apparently, everything decided to take the turn for the worst."

"_Gotta go, Alexis. I'll check in later."_ Like that Nicholas disconnected.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Alexis Cross." I took off my helmet and rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand "Consider me as a traitor to PSICOM as I had my fair share of soldiers on the way here."

"So, if you're a traitor to PSICOM. Where do you stand in all this?" He asked.

Well, it should pretty obvious by this point "NORA." I replied then Snow placed a hand on my shoulder with a grin on his face. At that moment, more PSICOM soldiers appeared.

The blonde got into a fighting stance with his fists "Do you mind giving us some support in the fight?" I looked to the PSICOM soldiers then back to Snow.

Accepting, I slipped my helmet back on and unsheathed my gunblade "You got my support."

* * *

**Nicholas's POV**

I gasped for air as I landed harshly on my back, I went to prop myself onto my elbows but I was stopped by the point of a gunblade which was a hair strand away from my throat. Looking up through my helmet, my eyes locked with the pinkette's aqua colored eyes. Who knew Lightning would be a difficult opponent. Of course, she doesn't know that it's me underneath this helmet.

Poising her gunblade for the final strike, I immediately put my hands up in surrender and yelled "Wait! Don't kill me!" The final blow didn't come. I looked up at the pinkette "Lightning, it's me, Nicholas." She narrowed her eyes and not risking anything. I removed my helmet and Lightning moved her gunblade away from my face. I let out a shaky breath.

"Nicholas, what are you doing here?" Lightning asked, keeping her gunblade in hand.

"Long story short: I got separated from my sister, shot a few soldiers, got branded as a traitor, and nearly got killed by you." I said, standing up.

"Alexis got recruited as well?" She asked.

I shook my head "No, she actually threaten her way to come along."

"If you don't me asking." Lightning's companion asked, who wore an olive-green coat over a white buttoned-up shirt, tan colored pants, and black boots. He had two gun holsters strapped around both of his thighs "How old are two? You and your sister, I mean."

"We're both 19." I replied.

Lightning scoffed, "Seems like PSICOM is in desperate need of soldiers that they're actually recruiting kids?"

I shook my head "I was recruit by the Primach, himself. Totally different from PSICOM recruiting you themselves." Lightning sheathed her gunblade, turned on her heel and began walking off with her companion trailing behind. I looked down at the helmet in my hands before rushing towards Lightning, I stopped in front of her which caused her and her companion to stop "Take me with you." I said bluntly.

Lightning crossed her arms over her chest "Why should I?"

"I just want to find Alexis." I said "You must be looking for someone like everybody else, right?" Either it was just me or did Lightning twitch at my question? She looked away. Lightning just walked around me but I stood in front of her again and this time, she gave me an ice cold glare that made me shudder "Look, once I find Alexis, I'll stay out of your way. Simple, yeah?"

She just looked at me for a few moments before letting out a clearly annoyed sigh, "Fine." She said "But you are to listen to what I tell you." I nodded sternly.

* * *

**A/N: And so there's chapter 3, hope you guys enjoyed it. As a heads up, I'm trying my best to type chapters ahead of time (helps me while little inspiration bunnies are still hopping around) Anyways, until the next time I update! See ya!**

**Don't forget to drop a review, I like to see how this story is coming along X3**


	4. Fallen Innocence

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the 4****th**** chapter of **_**Heart of a Soldier**_**! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII and its characters belong to Square Enix  
Claimer: **_**Heart of a Soldier**_** and its OCs belong to me**

***Re-edited 5/29/14**

* * *

**Heart of a Soldier**

**Chapter IV: Fallen Innocence**

* * *

A pantheron lunged towards me with its teeth bared, I side-stepped and slashed its side before it dropped onto the ground. My gunblade was changed into its gun form but the PSICOM soldier that I was aiming for had already been taken out by one of Snow's companions.

"_Mobilize beta force! Put down the resistance!"_ A soldier's voice was heard through my helmet. That doesn't sound good. Above us, a Skytank lowered itself close to the ground. From the top of the warship, a large bioweapon jumped down and landed in front of us, causing the ground to shake.

"Heroes don't run from fights." Snow and his companions got into their fighting stance and I did the same. The bioweapon stood on its hind legs before roaring and charging straight towards us on all fours.

Bullets met their target as Snow and I attacked the bioweapon up front. The bioweapon swiped its claws at us but we avoided getting hit. After minutes of firing bullets, punching, slashing, and dodging. The bioweapon collapsed onto the ground.

"I suspected more from that Beta Behemoth." I muttered under my breath as I took cover with Snow and a silver-haired woman. In the distance, PSICOM soldiers were being dropped and were forced to retreat.

Above us, the same Skytank that dropped off the bioweapon began firing its turret guns. The civilians were able to get behind cover but some were taken out "Snow! We got trouble!" One of the NORA members shouted.

"No kidding." Snow muttered, he looked over the cover and spotted something in the distance. I followed his gaze and noticed that he was looking at the bazooka "Stay down you two." He told me and the woman before running off as the firing ceased. Snow dived for the weapon but was unable to grab it once the bullets started firing again. As the Skytank prepared to fired its main cannon, the cockpit exploded.

I stood up from the cover as the woman helped Snow back onto his feet. Snow waved towards me and I jogged over towards them. It was then that a large explosion occurred behind me and the force of it knocked me off my feet. It was deafening at first as I can only hear the ringing in my ears, then I heard the sound of many civilians screaming. Getting onto my knees, I removed my helmet and gasped for air. Looking to my right, I saw Snow holding the now injured woman in his arms. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed many civilians sliding down the dangling motorway and fell into the darkness below.

The motorway that we were on started to tilt downwards and the next thing I knew was that I was sliding towards the edge but I was able to grab onto a metal bar that stuck out. Snow did the same as he held the silver-haired woman's hand "You alright there, kid?"

I nodded "Just fine, albeit scared shitless."

"Get him home…please…" The woman said to Snow.

"Hold on!" He told her. The woman made a peaceful smile before her body went limp. Snow tried his best to keep his grip on the woman but he loses it and the silver-haired woman plummeted into the abyss below.

"Damn you PSICOM!" I growled as I struggled to get myself back onto the motorway's flat surface but the motorway gave away and I lost my hold on the metal bar "Nicholas!"

Everything went black.

* * *

**Nicholas's POV**

I sat Indian style with my helmet in my lap as I gazed at the ships that zoomed by and the explosions that occurred beneath us on the motorways. We had just taken care of a group of PSICOM soldiers that were positioned on this transporting bridge "It's an out-and-out massacre." The man with the afro muttered "Those people won't even live long enough to die on Pulse."

Lightning then stood between him and I "That was the idea." She said.

"What?" The old timer looked at her.

"Sanctum logic." Lightning replied simply "They conjured up the Purge to eliminate a threat. I mean- why carry the danger all the way to Pulse? Why not just stamp it out here?"

"It's better to eliminate now it than suffer the consequences down the road." I said, remaining seated and looked at the two "As said by my mentors at the academy."

Lightning nodded "Execution masquerading as exile. That's all the Purge ever was."

The old timer sighed and shrugged his shoulders "'Relocation to Pulse'. How does a government get away with pulling crap like that?" He then turned to Lightning "And you- you knew this was gonna happen?"

Lightning shook her head "The Purge was PSICOM. Private Sanctum troops, not the Guardian Corps."

"PSICOM, Guardian Crops…soldiers are soldiers, aren't they?" The old timer questioned "Pulse fal'Cie, and their l'Cie, are enemies of the state. Tell a soldier to kill an enemy…and you really think it's gonna matter what uniform he's wearing?"

I looked over my left shoulder towards the soldier corpse "Might have mattered to that one. Couldn't shoot, got himself shot instead."

"How about you?" He asked Lightning "Orders say shoot, you pull the trigger?" The old timer huffed as he didn't get an answer "Fine. Forget I asked."

My eyes caught a red blur and I jumped onto my feet. As it boarded the bridge, I noticed that it was a Myrmidon. A machine like that can cause some serious damage if its attacks are not dodged. Although with the Myrmidon's speed, I was able to block its attack with my gunblade and the helmet was knocked out of my hand. With the Myrmidon pressing against my weapon, I started getting pushed back, inch by inch "You damned piece of scrap metal!" I growled, trying my hardest to push forward.

"We got your back kid!" The old timer shouted as he and Lightning attacked the Myrmidon from behind. The machine skidded backwards and I merely stumbled forwards.

We fought for a while with the Myrmidon until it completely shut down. We then sheathed our weapons.

Looking over the edge of our transportation, I sighed heavily "How the hell am I suppose to contact Alexis?" I loud siren reached my ears and I looked over my shoulder.

"What's that?" The older timer asked.

"_Attention Purge deportees. Attention Purge deportees. Put down your weapons and surrender immediately. Your removal is the will of the people of Cocoon. Should you attempt to flee, the Sanctum will employ every source necessary to bring you to justice. This land is no longer your home. Cease hostilities and surrender at once."_

I stared in awe. So, that's the Pulse Vestige.

* * *

**Alexis's POV**

I grunted as I struggled to get off my back. Pain coursed through my body from our fall off of the motorway. Nothing was broken- although I couldn't say the same with the PSICOM helmet. I took it off and tossed it to the side before looking up to see ships flying above us, my eyes widen at what they were carrying "The Pulse Vestige…" I muttered.

* * *

**Nicholas's POV**

"Just what you were looking for." The old timer folded his arms across his chest.

"Yeah. Right in there." Lightning replied.

"The Pulse fal'Cie. Huh."

"What about you, Nicholas?" Lightning turned her gaze upon me "Staying on?"

My eyes went to her from the fal'Cie "I have a feeling that Alexis is going to be in there. So, yes. I'm staying with you until we're reunited."

With that, Lightning walked towards the edge of the bridge and kneeled down. I took a spot next to her and looked down at the motorway below us "So, how do you figure that Pulse fal'Cie is different from the Sanctum's?" The old timer asked "All things being equal, I'd just as soon keep wondering." He said, as a small chocobo chick chirped in his gloved hands.

"Seems like a long drop from up he-" The next thing I knew was Lightning running past me and jumping off the edge with the old timer yelling after her.

"What-? Hey!" He rushed to where Lightning jumped off and looked down. From above, we noticed Lightning flip out from her nosedive and landed perfectly on her feet "Damn."

"Well," I said standing up and took a spot next to the old guy, I turned around and gave him a mock salute "See you groundside." I said before falling backwards. As I fell, I maneuvered my body and I landed in a small field on neon blue energy. I walked out of the small energy field, a bit winded "Went a little better than expected." I muttered to myself and jogged after Lightning.

* * *

**Alexis's POV**

After a while of searching for survivors, Snow and I came across one of the NORA members. If I remember correctly, his name was Gadot, from what I heard Snow say from time to time while fighting. Snow moved Gadot into a sitting position and patted his cheek "Come on. Come on!" Snow began slapping the guy awake.

Gadot awoke and hissed in pain as he placed his right hand on his left shoulder. Gadot looked around to see the lifeless bodies of civilians and PSICOM soldiers "What about the others?" He asked, turning to Snow. The leader of NORA didn't say anything "They didn't die! They couldn't have died!"

"Of course not." Came Snow's reply.

Gadot stood up and adjusted his left shoulder "Hey, get a grip, man!" He told Snow "What's wrong with you?"

"'Get him home…'" Snow muttered to himself "Get _who _home?"

"A friend? Family member?" I thought and Snow just sighed. An explosion was heard, we looked upwards towards the source to see a transporting bridge crash into a building. The bridge then began to fall.

"Toss me that." Snow grabbed a discarded gun from a nearby soldier corpse and tossed it over to Gadot.

Snow turned around to see his comrade pointing the gun at him, my hand hovered over my gunblade "What are you doing?" Snow questioned him.

"So what are you afraid of, huh?" I raised an eyebrow "You're supposed to be the hero." Gadot made a hearty laugh and placed the gun against his shoulder "She's waiting there, ain't she? Your lovely bride-to-be." He gestured towards the fal'Cie "Isn't it about time you picked her up?"

"Yeah." Snow replied with a grin.

We took over as three velocycles flew over us and landed not too far from us "That's our ride." Snow said, walking out from cover.

"Velocycle hijacking," I said amused "Can't wait."

Gadot let out a chuckle "Now you're talking."

As we maneuvered around the pieces of the fallen motorway, bullets suddenly came raining down and nearly pierced my body but not before I instantly reacted and jumped away. Three PSICOM Aerial Recon soldiers hovered close to the ground with two Pantherons backing them up.

I didn't take us very long to defeat them but I got a close call of a bullet that nearly caught my cheek. Afterwards, we climbed up and down stairs that went around large stacks of crates.

Peeking around the corner of a large crate, there were five PSICOM soldiers "I want every weapon ready to fire." Said a soldier.

"Stay sharp."

"All right, on my go." Snow told Gadot, who nodded. I remained behind them as Snow counted down from three. Once signaled, Gadot moved out into the open and let loose a barrage of bullets, killing two soldiers in the process. The last three were quickly dispatched. I sheathed my gunblade and we walked over towards the three velocycles and each of us got our own.

Getting myself comfortable, I revved up the engine "That's a sad sound." Gadot commented "Where's the soul?"

I noticed the vestige, and made a thoughtful look. With contacting Nicholas not being an option anymore, it was difficult to say if he's thinking about going to the fal'Cie and hoping to find me there. I couldn't say but going there is my best bet if I want to find him "Alexis!" I looked towards Snow to see him and Gadot already in the air "You ready?"

"Yeah!" My velocycle started getting into the air and moved onto Snow's left.

"Ready…" Gadot said.

Both of them leaned forward "Go!" Snow shouted. Our velocycles zoomed through the air with Snow in the lead.

* * *

**A/N:** **So there's chapter 4! Hope everybody enjoyed it (as I decided to skip some scenes) Until the next time on **_**Heart of a Soldier**_**! See ya!**

**Don't forget to drop a review! Reviews make me cry tears of joy!**


	5. Into the Vestige

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the 5th chapter of _Heart of a Soldier_! Thank you to those who reviewed, it means a lot to me. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII and its characters belong to Square Enix  
Claimer: I only own the OCs**

* * *

**Heart of a Soldier**

**Chapter V: Into the Vestige**

* * *

The vestige, we're actually inside the vestige. I stared in awe at the design of our surroundings, machines are more of my cup of tea but the architecture is rather impressive. While my head was up in clouds, I accidently bumped into Snow who was standing there "Sorry, Snow." I said and he nodded in acknowledgement of my apology.

"Don't worry, Serah. Your hero is on his way." He muttered. Serah? I became curious about this Serah person and why in the world would she be in a place like this. Snow started moving on ahead with me following him "So, Alexis," He spoke up "You said you came to the Hanging Edge with your brother, right?" I replied with a nod "Do you know where he is?"

I frowned, "In all honesty, I don't have the slightest clue. However, I have a feeling that I might find him here. If I'm lucky, he might've gotten the same idea."

"Well, just hold onto hope and faith." Snow patted me on the head, he then pointed at something off in the distance that caught his eye "You see that over there?"

I followed his line of vision to see a machine with a bright green light "A switch maybe?"

"Only one way to find out." He said.

As we descended down the stairs, we encountered two Pantherons who were just minding their own business until they saw us. Both of us took one of our own to fight. I unsheathed my gunblade as the Pantheron that I'm fighting stalked around me. I remained poised, ready to strike. The Pantheron roared before charging straight towards me but I sidestepped in time and made a swift slash movement on its side as it passed. Its body went limb as the bioweapon hit the ground.

I turned to Snow as I sheathed my gunblade behind me. Seems like Snow didn't have the slightest trouble.

We resumed walking towards the machine and Snow reached out to touch it. In response to his touch, the light turned yellow. I looked over my shoulder to see several other machines to see them turning the same color. It was then that I took notice of the shifting floors around us before the floor emitted a bright red light.

Looking up to where we started, a bright odd-looking mark appeared then faded away to reveal a platform in its place.

* * *

**Nicholas's POV**

I played with the end of my scarf as the old timer, who introduced himself as Sazh, and I sat on the ground. For what it seems like hours, Lightning has been hacking away at the locked door that we came across.

"Still won't budge?" Sazh asked. I looked back at the door and for some reason, something was nagging me at the back of my head once I laid my eyes on that odd-looking mark. But I simply ignored it "I think the door is winning." Sazh said, standing up and stretching.

"Why didn't I listen?" Lightning muttered, I raised an eyebrow at her spoken words.

"Uh, beg your pardon?" Sazh asked. Lightning muttered something else "Beg your pardon?" Sazh tried again.

"Cover your ears." Was the first thing that Lightning told us.

"Oh, blast charge? Hold on, hold on!" I watched as Sazh scurried to a safe distance and covered his ears "All right, go for it! Make it happen!"

I was about to say something but Lightning beat me to it, "You too, Nicholas," She told me. I complied and turned my back towards her and the door and 'covered' my ears. I know for fact that nobody had the gut to carry blast charges- especially with the murdering going on outside the vestige "I'm so sorry." I heard Lightning say "Please let me in. Please?" I waited for the door to start opening before standing back up. What made her say that?

Sazh heard the door rumble as it opened and instantly stood up "What the- hey!" He moved over to where Lightning stood "What did- how'd you open it?"

The door began to close shut as we walked on through. Just as we were about step one foot onto the first staircase, three Pantherons came racing down. We unsheathed our weapons and got straight into the fight.

The fight, however, didn't last that long. We ran up another set of stairs to encounter more two more Pantherons, a group of Zwerg Scandroids. The Pantherons were the first to notice us. Lightning, with her gunblade already in hand, dashed forward and caught both of them in a Blitz attack. I followed after her as Sazh stayed behind and fired bullets. The Pantheron on Lightning's right shifted its gaze from her to me.

After that, the fight was done.

I would say that it's all clear but it would true if that Myrmidon wasn't blocking our path to the stairs behind it. Ever since our first encounter one of these, they are really annoying.

The Myrmidon made the first move and dashed in our direction. I rolled off to the side to avoid it and Lightning did the same. Bullets zoomed by and bounced off of its shield. With my gunblade now in hand, Lightning and I made a run for it and crossed each other in an 'x' formation. I shifted my hold to back-handed before slashing at its legs. As for Lightning, I didn't expect her to plant a foot between my shoulder blades and used me as leverage to attack the upper half of the Myrmidon.

The machine toppled over from its unstable legs and crashed onto the ground. The Myrmidon now laid on the ground, unmoving. We sheathed our weapons and I rolled my shoulders "Would you mind telling me before you put a boot on me?" I asked Lightning as we walked up the stairs.

"It's always best to take advantage of the situation." She said without looking at me. I don't really know how to reply to that, but she said it like it was fighting advice. I mentally shrugged and took it as that.

As arrived to the top of the stairs, I was barely tackled to the ground by a Pantheron who sunk its teeth into my left forearm. But I was swift enough to unsheathe my gunblade and slice its head off. Two Zwerg Scandroids appeared behind us but were easily dispatched by a single Blitz attack by Lightning. On top of the next stairs, there was another Myrmidon and Pantheron, which took us some time to deal with.

"If those soldiers are still around, might be some soldiers trapped in here, too." Sazh said as we approached the next set of stairs "Except they'd probably be l'Cie by now. Not even human anymore. Just Pulse l'Cie. Enemies of Cocoon. Can't show 'em any mercy."

* * *

**Alexis's POV**

We arrived at another part of the vestige "There's the next one." Snow pointed towards the same glowing machine. I nodded before following the blonde. As we near the machine, there were two Zwerg Scandroids and a Pantheron "Alexis, take care of the Scandroids. Leave the Pantheron to me."

The Zwer Scandroids were both taken out by a single blitz attack with the Pantheron caught up within the attack. Snow then finished off the bioweapon with several poundings by his fists. Snow then activated the machine afterwards, with the green light turning yellow.

Ahead of us, a platform descended down "All right!" Snow said before we walked up the stairs and hopped onto the platform "Hang on, baby! Your hero's on the way!" He shouted. I couldn't help but to smile at Snow's determination as the platform descended.

The sound of moaning then caught our attention. I looked over the edge of the platform and below us to see these shambling creatures with long arms and a red eye on their chests. I merely shivered at the sight "Cie'ths," I muttered, noticing Snow stand next to me and look down "I was told that Cie'ths are l'Cie who failed to complete their Focus that was given to them by the fal'Cie."

"Seems like you know plenty." Snow commented and I nodded "Odd that the Cie'ths are moving away from us." As the platform came to a stop, Snow immediately ran off the platform and through the crowd of Cie'ths. I was about to yell after him until I noticed two figures standing in the middle of a group of Cie'ths. I unsheathed my gunblade and switched it to its sword form. Snow made a war cry as he shoved his way through the Cie'ths while I began slashing at them and dodging their waving arms. Snow made it to where the two figures stood "Let's even these odds!" I heard him shout.

I ducked a waving arm of a Cie'th and made a clean upwards slash on its chest before making a downward horizontal slash. The Cie'th collapsed to the ground as I moved to the next one. The Cie'th moaned gravely around me, one by one, the Cie'th collapsed onto the ground as I slashed through them in an attempt to make my way up the stairs.

Sheathing my gunblade, I hurried up the stairs to see at least a dozen dead Cie'th bodies littered amongst the floor "How did you get in here? You've gotta leave." Snow told the two. The blonde noticed me and I waved to him that I was fine. He nodded.

My eyes went over to the two characters.

The first one I noticed was the silver-haired boy who collapsed onto his hands and knees from exhaustion. He wore a yellow and orange jacket with a black shirt underneath it, a green bandana around his neck, blue and white gloves, dark green pants that went to his knees, and white shoes with black laces.

The next one I noticed was the orange-red haired girl. She wore a pink tanktop, a multi-colored skirt, a pelt of fur that went from her hips to the knees, and yellow heeled boots. For some reason, she looks oddly familiar, like I met her somewhere. The girl made a nervous smile.

"Okay, listen. Find someplace to hide and keep quiet." Snow told them "Once I find Serah, we'll all leave together." He walked past them and I followed "You'll be home in time for dinner." Snow looked over his shoulder and gave them a thumbs up.

"You-"

"Wait!" The girl called to us in an accent. Snow and I stopped and turned around to face them "Who's Serah?" She asked.

"My wife. Future wife, that is." Snow replied "She's a Pulse l'Cie." I held my breath, so that's why he came here "She's here somewhere, along with that fal'Cie. I've gotta find her and set her free."

We were about to move until the silver-haired boy found his voice "What's wrong with you?" He demanded "Why do you want to help a l'Cie? They're the enemy! How can you save a l'Cie, and not…and not…that's insane!" He stomped his foot.

"Probably." Snow rubbed the back of his head "But I gotta do something, right? I'll be back! Come on, Alexis!" I nodded and followed him down the stairs.

"You think it's really wise to have them stay there?" I asked as I slowed to a stop "I would say safety in numbers is the best option."

"You're probably right," Snow turned around "Stay here while I get them." I nodded and watched as Snow ran back up the stairs.

* * *

**Nicholas's POV**

We've made progress as we fought through Pantheron and Zwerg Scandroids, although it was quiet within the group. I held up my hand that wore the ring that Alexis gave to me while we were still aboard the airship, the golden engravings glowed brightly. I glanced over to Lightning, who was walking on my right, she told Sazh and I that she was looking for something within this vestige. I'm not going to lie, but I'm rather curious.

"So, Lightning," I began and she grunted in response "I'm curious, what are you looking for? Or better yet, who?" I asked. She stopped in her tracks- crap, I think I shouldn't have asked that "O-of course, you don't have to tell me, I-I was just-"

"I'm looking for my sister," She replied.

"Your sister? You mean Serah?" I questioned, Lightning didn't reply "But if Serah's here, then that means she's a…" She turned to looked at me with a hard gaze, but I saw a hint of sorrow and guilt. Serah is a Pulse l'Cie "That explains everything then," I muttered "A l'Cie, huh?"

"What? A _Pulse_ l'Cie?" Sazh came into our short conversation.

Lightning nodded "The fal'Cie has her captive. But I'll find her."

"Is she still…?" Before Sazh can say anything else, Lightning pushed forwards but the old timer moved in front of her which caused the pinkette to stop "What was her Focus? When she became a l'Cie, what did the fal'Cie order her to do? It wasn't 'blow up Cocoon,' or anything like that, was it?"

"I didn't ask," Lightning looked away.

Moans caught our attention from the top of the stairs to our right, those are Cie'ths. Sazh continued talking "Listen to me. When a person gets cursed by a fal'Cie, they become a l'Cie. Then they get given a Focus, right?" Lightning didn't say anything "How do I put this? If they don't carry it out, l'Cie end up as one of those things. What I'm saying is, if your sister's gone that far…I mean-!" She turned her back towards him "She might still-! How can I-?" Sazh went silent for a moment, he looked over to me for help.

I rubbed the back of my head, making an effort to think of something. Something came to mind, I stepped in front of Lightning and placed a hand on her shoulder "What the old timer is saying that; if Serah managed to complete her Focus in time before she turns, then there's still time to save her and free her from the fal'Cie curse. She'll remain human."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Sazh asked "L'Cies are forever fal'Cie slaves…don't make your sister suffer." He said the last part to Lightning.

Lightning glared at him and roughly shoved him away "Just say it! Any l'Cie…anyone who might ever become a l'Cie should be wiped off the face of Cocoon." She started walking away before saying over her shoulder "It's people like you that started the Purge in the first place."

"If I was in her position, I would do anything to get a loved one back. Even if it means going up against all odds." I told Sazh before walking after Lightning.

As we walked up the flights of stairs, we encountered groups of Cie'th along the way and there are actually some Cie'th that can fly. Pesky bastards. After a while of fighting group after group of Cie'th, we made it to an area that looks like the central area. We stepped onto a platform that took us to the next flight of stairs.

At the top of the stairs, a pink-haired girl was found laying on the ground. She had a striking resemblance to Lightning.

"Serah!" Lightning rushed to Serah's side, who seemed to be unconscious. Lightning picked up Serah bridal style and turned to us "Time to go. We have to leave before the army- what?"

"That's a Pulse brand." Sazh pointed out "That girl's a l'Cie."

"I already told you that." Lightning replied.

"Pulse l'Cie are the enemies of Cocoon." I noticed Sazh move his hand towards one of his pistols, Lightning noticed as well.

"So they should die?" Lightning questioned.

"Listen, if she fails her Focus, you know how that'll end." Sazh told her.

"And killing her is a mercy?" A hand reached out to Lightning's face, she turned her head towards Serah.

"You came…" Serah muttered. Lightning carefully set her down.

"Serah!" I turned around to see a platform descending towards our level. On the platform was a blonde man, a silver-haired boy, a girl with orange-red hair, and Alexis. The blonde jumped down before the platform stopped and made his way to Serah's side.

"Nicholas!" Alexis ran up to me and wrapped her arms around me, her grip tightened "It's good to see you again," She muttered against my shoulder. I opened my mouth to say something touching as my twin sister released me from the hug, but I then received a hard slap to the side of the head.

I yelped in response "What the hell was that for?!" I growled, giving her a full on glare.

"That was for worrying me after you disconnected our call." She replied with a pissed off tone.

"Well what would you expect? I was caught up in a fight." Alexis huffed childishly and I ignored her for the time being.

"You can save us." Serah spoke up.

"Serah?"

"You can save us." Serah said again "Protect us all. Save…Cocoon." Slowly, Lightning's sister's eyes began to close.

"Save Cocoon? Serah? That was your Focus?" Lightning asked.

"Anything. I'll do anything." The blonde said to her "Leave it to me- you'll see. I'll protect Cocoon! I'll save everyone!"

Lightning looked up at the blonde for a moment before looking back to Serah "Somehow, I'll make things right."

"You just relax." The blonde said with a smile.

Serah smiled and said "Thank you." At that moment, a bright blue light surrounded Serah's body as she started floating upwards. Crystal started forming on her body. A small light fell from the now crystallized Serah and into the blonde's gloved hand.

"Serah! Serah!" The blonde jumped up and down frantically.

"Why is she turning to crystal?" The orange-red haired girl asked, lowering her hands that covered her mouth.

"L'Cie who fulfill their Focus are transformed into crystal and gain eternal life." The silver-haired boy answered.

"Just like the stories say." Sazh commented.

As Serah floated back down onto the ground, the blonde muttered "Serah…sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams?" Lightning shoved Sazh back and marched right up to the blonde "She's not sleeping! Serah's…she's-" She pushed the blonde back and looked back at her now crystallized sister.

"She's alive!" The blonde insisted.

Lightning sent him a glare "No."

"The legend! Remember the legend!" He said "L'Cie who fulfill their Focus turn to crystal and gain eternal life. It's the same with Serah! Eternal life! She's not dead!" He tried to convince us before walking over to Lightning "Serah's my bride-to-be. I promised to be hers forever! I don't care how many years I have to wait-"

Before the blonde had the chance to finish his sentence, Lightning sent a punch his way that sent the blonde falling onto the floor "It's over! Open your eyes and face reality!"

Suddenly, the entire vestige began to shake. Alexis grabbed hold of my arm and held on tightly, not risking to lose me "Nicholas!"

"I'm going to take a hazard guess and say it's the army!" I shouted over the loud noises "Seems like bringing it back to Pulse is no longer an option at this point."

"But wasn't what the Purge was for?" The red-haired girl asked.

"All they care about is getting everything from Pulse off Cocoon." Sazh said to her "Dead or alive, it's all the same."

Eventually the vestige stopped shaking. We looked towards the only door in the area to see the l'Cie mark start to fade away. The door slowly opened afterwards.

The blonde grabbed Serah's hand and gently grasped it "I'll be right back. Hold on." He said to her before walking towards the door with Sazh calling after him.

"Trench Coat. Where you going?"

"Date with the fal'Cie." He said "Got some things to talk about."

"You're gonna ask _it_ to help her? Are you out of your mind, kid? That thing wants to chew us up and spit us out!" Sazh told him.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" The blonde turned back around to face him. Sazh had nothing else to say. Lightning then walked up ahead "Lightning?"

Darkness.

Pitch black darkness was all I can see as we walked through the corridor that is now to us. Until we entered an incredibly large dark room and I noticed something in front of us.

"So this is…the fal'Cie." I heard the silver-haired kid say out loud. I thought the same thing except more like 'I can hardly believe that this hunk of metal, copper, and tubes is the fal'Cie'. Heavy silence settled into the room.

"Serah's a crystal now." The blonde broke the silence "You gave her a Focus, and she did it!" He began yelling "You got what you want! Now let her go!" No response came from the fal'Cie. The blonde then went down onto his hands and knees "Please. Turn her back! I'll be your l'Cie instead!"

"Fine, you go on begging. Like this thing gives a damn what we want!" Lightning unsheathed her gunblade and began hacking away like there was nothing to lose. Her gunblade bounced off the surface, which caused her to stumble backwards.

"Lightning!" The blonde called out.

"It's this thing's fault the Purge started, and it's people who are dying. Serah told us to save Cocoon. That means this thing needs to die!"

Suddenly, parts of the floor began to glow brightly. Gears started rotating, steam was released, and a bright white light began to shine from the metal wall that covered the fal'Cie. On both sides, two large contraptions rose up from the ground. As the shell of the fal'Cie fully opened, we were blinded by pure light. I used my right forearm to shield my eyes.

The fal'Cie revealed itself, it had a claw-like right body part and a large crystal on its chest.

"The exit is blocked!" Alexis shouted, I looked over my shoulder to see a dark red barrier blocking our only exit. Damn it.

"Come on now." Sazh rushed over to Lightning, who was still poised with her gunblade "You really think you can kill a fal'Cie?" He asked her.

"I'm doing this for Serah!" Lightning got into her fighting stance. So did the blonde.

Sazh looked down towards the ground and muttered something, a small chocobo chick squeaked before going back into his afro "I'm in. As long as you don't mind an amateur." He took out his dual pistols from their holsters "I got these! Might as well use 'em!"

Alexis and I looked at each other, as if having the same idea, we nodded and unsheathed our gunblades "Count us in." I said for the both of us. I held my gunblade in a back-handed fashion.

"Nicholas," Lightning spoke up "What ever happened to leaving once you've been reunited with your sister?"

I let on a small smirk "Taking our leave isn't an option at this point. Besides, Alexis and I have some bone picking to do." Alexis smiled at my words "Now lets kick some fal'Cie ass!"

Lightning was the first to move and charge head-on towards the fal'Cie with the blonde following behind her. Sazh, Alexis, and I remained behind them and attacked from the distance. The contraptions that look like arms slammed and grinded against the ground until sparks erupted. With Alexis and Sazh firing bullets, I took the fight upfront to the contraptions and tried my best not to be turned into grinded meat. Once the right arm was down, we focused on the left. I jumped back to avoid being grinded by the left arm.

Lightning and Snow retreated away from the fal'Cie, then Alexis and I took their previous spot and began slashing away while the others attacked the left arm directly. In a matter of minutes, the arm dropped to the ground with a loud 'thud' and a crack formed amongst the surface of the crystal. Almost there! But what we didn't expect was the fal'Cie to raise the arms again, it raised its claw-like body part and swung at us. On instinct, I shoved Alexis back while I blocked the fal'Cie's claw. I grunted at the amount of pressure being applied against me.

All of a sudden, I felt a harsh tug on my scarf and I was suddenly moved away from the fal'Cie's claw. I landed on my hands and knees and let out a breath, a cough caught my attention. I looked down and my eyes connected with blue ones, it took me a minute to realize that I was on top of Lightning with her tightly gripping my scarf. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I tried to find my words, Lightning's cheeks also turned a light shade of red "Sorry about that…" I quickly said as I moved off of her. I offered her hand, she grabbed it and we returned to the others.

"What was that about?" I heard Alexis asked.

"Just shut up and fight." I huffed.

Like before, we dispatched the arms which made the fal'Cie vulnerable as it raised them up again. All five of us attacked the crystal at once and the crystal finally shattered.

A bright white light was then emitted from the fal'Cie. After the white light faded, we found ourselves floating in complete utter darkness.

"Where are we?" Lightning asked.

"What's going on?" Snow followed with his question.

I flinched as the sound of chiming bells came alive around us. We looked above us to see the true form of the fal'Cie. Its face remained stoic as it glanced down us, lesser beings. Thick green tendrils shot out from around the fal'Cie and wrapped themselves around our limbs. Everyone struggled to get loose but failed. The fal'Cie held out a hand and thinner tendrils shot out from its palm. The tendrils attached themselves to certain parts of our bodies.

I gritted my teeth as the burning pain settled on the palm of my left hand.

The tendrils disappeared and we were succumbed by unconsciousness as we fell deeper into the darkness.

Before my eyes closed, I envisioned something towering in the bright light, then I saw a city near an ocean with two crystallized figures.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, 10 pages just for this chapter. This chapter took forever to type, despite the fact that I'm graduating pretty soon and life is literally beating the pulp out of me. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until the next the chapter! See ya!**

**Don't forget to drop a review!**

**P.S. Sorry about any grammar errors**


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Final Fantasy XIII, Adventure, Romance